Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-04-14
LANSING LETTER.
The Capital Punishment Bill Passed.
Resume OF Important Legislation.

has pissed the house. IL provide, thai
every person who shall hereafter be con
victed of the crime of murder in the firs'
deg ee shall suffer death IL the jury before
whom such person shall be tried so recon
mend in their verdict; but IL the Jury dc
not so recommend, such convict shall bs
punished by imprisonment In the state
prison for life; Provided, That should any
person plead guilty of the crime of murder
in the first degree, sentence of death or of
imprisonment Tor life may be made in the
discretion of the court. Sec. 2. When any
convict shall be sentenced to the punish
ment of death, the presiding judge of the
court at which said conviction shall have
taken place, shall appoint the day on
which such sentence shall be executed
which shall not be less than six months
and not more than year from the date
| of sentence.
Other material provisions of the bill are
that the punishment OF death shall in every
case be inflicted by hanging the convict
by the neck until he or she is dead, the
sentence to be executed within the walls
OF the jail of the county in which the con-
viction was had, or within the inclosed
yard of such Jail. The sheriff shall be pres
ent at the execution, unless prevented by
| sickness or other casualty, and also two OF
| his deputies to be designated by him, and
he shall request the presence OF the prose
cut ng attorney, clerk OF the court, and
twelve respectable citizens. including a
| physician or surgeon; and he shall permit
& e counsel OF the convict and such min
listers of the gospel as the convict shall de.
sire to be present and also such officers of
| the Jail, deputies and constahles military
guard or other assistants as he shall see tit.
The house committee on labor interests
ma reported substitute for the convict
labor bill, originally introduced by Mr..
| OCg. The substitute provides that pris-
oners shall be employed upon the account
"a the state upon hard labor. only such
mac hinery To be u ed as can be operated
| by hand or foot. and only such prisoners
set at work as hall be known TO the prison
officials to be physically able. Ten hours
is fixed for days work. There is to be
no renewal of existing contracts for the
labor of convicts, and all new contracts
are prohibited. The bill appropriates $40
00l TO enable the Jackson prison to begin
this kind of workonext year.
Gov Luce says he will not appoint an
| ad utant general until about April 2 }.
| There are a score of applicants, among the
lumber Don c. Henderson of Allegan.
The senate has confirmed the appoint
meut of Mrs Mary l.. Cooley, wife OF
| Thomas M. Cooley, as "A member of the
\ board OF trustees of the State Industrial
School for Girls at Adrian.
The house has passed the bill for the con-
fin ment of convicts guilty of first otienses,
| punishable by sentences to the state pris-
on, to the Detroit house of correction.
The governor has approved the follow
| ing bills Requiring the judge of probate
to give notice to foreign consuls OF an APP
| plication for administration in the estate
of deceased persons amending session
| laws of 1919, relative to raising money by
| township boards, relative to powers and
| duties Of townships, to amend, revise and
consolidate the laws organizing asylums
| for the insane, and regulating the care and
management thereof and the inmates
! therein, TO enable the state agricultural
soc ETY. to permanently locate the place of
holding its annual fair to facilitate the
commencement of suits in justice courts
against Joint defendants, one or more of
whom shall not reside in or be found in
the county where the suit shall be brought
| The bill TO amend sections 623l-32 How
ell statutes, in reference to divorce, and
! to add three new sections thereto, caused
considerable discussion in the house the
| other afternoon. Mr.. Harrington, who
| introduced the bill, explained the evils
| arising from the facility with which di-
vorces are procured in Michigan. The
Jest that conductors on reaching Chicago
cry out twenty minutes for divorces
applied more strikingly to Michigan than
20 Illinois. Many people come from ad-
| joining states 10 Michigan TO avail them
! selves of tie easy divorce laws of this
state. This was demoraliZing to the peo-
PIE of Michigan. Mr.. Harrington said that
| in Wayne county there was annually one
divorce to every six marriages or one di-
vorce TO every o. inhabitants. In Kent
county annually one divorce TO every four
and two-tenths marriages; in Oakland
county an average of nearly forty-three
| applications for divorces each year, the
average number OF marriages being 325
| each year, or one applicat ton for divorce
| to every seventy i've marriages. be
showed that in Illinois one years resi-
dence was required; New Jersey three
| years, Maryland two years, MassaC husetts
two years, Tennessee two years; New
ork accepted no Jurisdiction where the
cause arose outside of the state.
Several amendments were proposed, all
of which were rejected, and the bill was
un lnmously passed. AS passed the bill
reads as follows:
SEC. 9. No divorce shall lie granted un-
less the party exhibiting the petition or
bill of complaint therefor shall have resided
in this state one year Immediately proceed
ing the time of eX hibiting such petition or
bill. or unless the marriage was solemnizej
in this state. and the comp .ainant shall
have resided in this state from the time OF
such marriage to the time of exhibiting
the petition or bill, land when the cause
for divorce occurred out of this state, no
divorce shall be granted unless the com
% aiuant or defendant shall have resided
within this state twoyears next preceding
the filing OF the petition or bill, and no
proofs or testimony shall be taken In a
cause until six months after the filing of
such petition or bill for divorce, except
where the cause for divorce is desertion or
when tie testimony is taken conditionally
or for the purpose of perpetuating such
testimony"
Sec. 10 No divorce shall be decreed In
any case when IL shall appear that the pc
tItion or bill therefore was founded in or
exhibited by collision between the parties;
and the oath or affirmation administered
to the complainant in swearing to such
petition or bill shall, in addition to all
other legal requirements, recite the follow
ing: 'And you do solemnly swear Tor at
frm) that there Is no collision, understand
ing or agreement whatever between your
self and the defendant herein, in your ap-
plication for divorce" And no divorce
shall he decl eed in any case where the
party mplaining shall be guilty of the
same crime or misconduct charged against
the respondent.
Sec. A. In all suits for divorce, IL any of
the testimony in the case Is taken before
circuit court commits Toner, or by stipula-
ton before any other officer, IL shall be the
duty of such commissioner, or other officer,
TO ask of each and every witness sworn by
and tefore him in such cause the following
question, which shall be reduced to writ.
ing in the testimony: do you know OF
any fact matter or circumstances, which
will in any way tend to weaken complain
ants case of divorces IL so, state the same
particularly and fully" and the answer OF
the witness to such question shall
be reduced to writing by the said
commissioner, or other officer, verbatim
ton and answer shall be returned to the
court with the other testimony in the
case. .